Supergirl: The Unknown Supergirl
; ; ; ; | Creators = Jerry Siegel; Jim Mooney; Mort Weisinger | First = Action Comics Vol 1 278 | Last = Action Comics Vol 1 285 | Quotation = I'm so happy! I'm no longer just Superman's emergency weapon! Now I'm his partner! Golly, things'll be very different from now on! | Speaker = Supergirl | QuoteSource = Action Comics Vol 1 285 | HistoryText = Supergirl gets summoned by Superman to a desert isle where she finds out that her cousin's decided it's time that the public learns of her existence. After showing her several videos of her exploits, he tells he plans on making the reveal once he and Krypto return from a mission in another dimension, leaving Earth in Supergirl's protection. Kal-El and Krypto depart, leaving Kara Zor-El to her own devices. Supergirl is whiling away on the isle when her telescopic vision detects a cloud of Kryptonite dust ringing itself all over the Earth. Seeking protection from it, Supergirl dives into the ocean and is helped by Jerro, who pulls her further down where she'll be out of range from the K-radiation. Both teenagers seek refuge in Atlantis where they are reunited with Lori Lemaris and recall old times. Undersea, Jerro is showing Supergirl around Atlantis when Lori warns them criminals all over the world, believing Superman is dead or gone because of the Kryptonite cloud, have launched a great crime spree. Supergirl, watching from afar with her x-ray vision, uses her super powers to stop all the crimes on land without leaving the ocean. Eventually, the Kryptonite cloud dissipates and Supergirl can return to solid ground. She flies back to the island right before Superman and Krypto return from their mission. Superman leads her cousin to a tv station where he plans to make the announcement when Supergirl's powers suddenly disappear. Superman flies her cousin to the Fortress of Solitude where he runs several tests. He can't figure out the reason, but Kara appears to have lost her powers permanently. Without any super-powers, Superman decides against revealing her to the public for her own safety. Kal takes his devastated cousin back to the Midvale Orphanage. Before leaving, he swears to do all he can to restore her powers. Although her cousin tries to cheer her up, Kara fears their relationship will be different from now on. Kara changes to her Linda Lee identity and goes back to her bedroom. Before falling asleep, Kara tries to look past her grief and see the silver lining: now she is no longer Superman's secret weapon, she has no reason to avoid adoption. Still she has to wonder what caused her power loss. Unbeknownst to Supergirl, she had been monitored by a Kandorian scienstist called Lesla-Lar. Envious of the acclaim and praise humans were sure to give Supergirl, Lesla had grown to hate her. Before Superman went about revealing his cousin's existence to the world, Lesla used one of her machines to nullify Supergirl's powers out of despite. Lesla congratulated herself for her success, but she wasn't over with scheming against Supergirl yet. Back on the Orphanage, Linda brushes her tears away and forces herself to forget the past and put a brave face. Shortly after Linda is finally adopted by a marriage. Her orphan friends throw a going-away party, and Linda moves with Fred and Edna Danvers, taking her pet cat Streaky with her. Her new parents are happy to have her, but Fred suspects she's hiding some past grief. Silently, Fred wonders if she'll open up to them some day. That night, Linda is visited by her cousin. Linda, who thought Kal-El had forgotten her for now, hugs him, sobbing. Faster than sound, Superman builds her a special room to hide her Supergirl costume, even though she has no powers to use. Linda tries and fails to keep smiling, and wonders if her powers will return someday. Streaky, who no longer has his piece of X-Kryptonite readily available, is as well making himself that question. Linda falls asleep shortly after. While sleeping, Linda is shrunk and teleported to Kandor by Lesla-Lar, who uses her devices to brainwashing Linda into believing herself to be Lesla-Lar. Lesla exchanges clothes with Linda, grabs a teleport bracelet which will allow her to swap places with Linda whenever she desires, and then takes Linda's place on Earth. While a mentally-conditioned Linda covers for the real Lesla-Lar's absence, Lesla poses as Linda on Earth. At night she dons Linda's Supergirl's costume and visits Lex Luthor in his cell. Lesla claims to be a Supergirl from another planet who wishes being his secret emergency weapon out of admiration for him, and springs Luthor from jail, leaving a dummy in his place to cover for him. The two criminals team up to steal an armored car before Lesla returns Luthor back to his cell to avoid detection. However, the real Linda had accidentally monitored their activities and tries to warn the people of Kandor about an evil Supergirl out here. The real Lesla's super-senses pick up on Linda's actions and she uses her fail-safe to return Supergirl back to Earth and into her bed, and switch places back. Supergirl wakes up screaming, and dismisses the whole episode as a nightmare. The next morning, Linda Danvers begins her daily routine, and being almost late for class, she comes to realize she took her lost super-powers for granted. That day, her class goes on a field trip to the Daily Planet in Metropolis. There Clark Kent tells Linda that he's going to make one final attempt to come up with a way to restore her powers. Watching this from her monitor in Kandor, Lesla-Lar comes up with an idea to trick Superman and further her own criminal goals. That night, Lesla-Lar again uses her devices to swap places with Linda as she sleeps. She meets up with Lex Luthor in his prison cell to tell him that she wants him to build a Green Kryptonite ray to destroy Superman. They plot to assassinate Superman but Lesla wants Luthor to design the machine and get full credit so that the world figures Supergirl is on the side of the law when she reveals herself to the world, while in reality Lesla-Lar is working with Luthor. While in the city of Kandor, "Lesla-Lar" goes about her daily tasks and becomes interested in Supergirl's exploits. She begins watching movies of Supergirl completely unaware that she is watching her own history. Meanwhile, the real Lesla-Lar, still posing as Linda meets with Superman. Lesla-Lar tricks Superman into thinking she found an instant cure and restored her powers from breathing the vapors of a melted rock. Using her x-ray vision "Linda" spots a canyon that is being effected by an earthquake. Superman rushes to the rescue, and "Supergirl" secretly reshapes the rocks Superman is knocking aside into a unique stone formation across a road. Later while congratulating her for her help, Superman reveals to "Supergirl" that he is convinced her powers have returned in full and she has not lost any skill and decides that they should reveal her to the public right away. Lesla happily ponders her plot is working out just as planned: once Luthor murders Superman, she'll "accidentally" kill Luthor while capturing him. Then she'll be free to conquer or destroy Earth if she wishes while the real Supergirl spends the rest of her life in Kandor. Before revealing her existence, though, Kal-El has to check on an experiment in his Fortress of Solitude, so the duo travel there. While Superman is busy, Krypto becomes suspicious of "Supergirl" and realizes that she's someone else. Sensing the real Supergirl's presence, Krypto's x-ray vision finds that she's inside the bottle city of Kandor. Utilizing a change ray in Superman's fortress, Krypto pulls the real Supergirl from Kandor and sends Lesla-Lar back to the Bottle City. Unfortunately, upon being teleported out of Kandor unexpectedly, Supergirl trips and bangs her head on a table. Still depowered, she is knocked unconscious. Supergirl comes around, still believing her living in Kandor was a dream, when Superman returns from his experiment to find a depowered Supergirl with spotty memory. He tries the same experiment on her that restored her powers (really a ruse by Lesla-Lar). Superman then decides to test his next theory and brings Supergirl back in time. He's apparently proven right because upon arriving in the year 1692, they find that Supergirl's powers have been restored. Superman states whatever is effecting her super-powers is only in the present day. Superman decides to leave Supergirl enjoy her powers in this era. Kara remembers the legend about a "Golden Witch" terrorizing that area of the country in 1692, and wonders whether she'll be able to unravel the mystery. She happens upon a town whose people are going through hard times, and she uses her powers to provide food, fresh water, medicine, and coal to heat their cottages, which she also repairs. Upon completing her task, Supergirl decides to abandon her plan to search for the "Golden Witch" and returns to her own time. Upon returning to the present, her powers fail again and she is saved from falling down by Superman. Superman returns her to her home, and tells his cousin that he cannot reveal her to the public now that her powers are uncertain, but he doesn't want her to give up hope. That night, Linda checks an encyclopedia and realizes she was the "Golden Witch". Later she goes to bed, unaware she's being watched by Lesla-Lar, who waits for her to fall asleep so that Lesla can take her place once more. However, Linda spends long hours dwelling on the mystery of her on-and-off powers. Lesla ends falling asleep before Linda does, and when she wakes up, it's too late: it's the next day and Linda is already up. After breakfast with her adoptive parents, she is visited by Superman, who has built a replica of a Legion of Super-Heroes Time Bubble for her. Kara decides to travel several thousands of years into the future, hoping maybe she'll regain her powers permanently, much to the chagrin of Lesla-Lar whose viewer can't see into the future. Supergirl arrives at the future and finds out Earth is populated by mutated beasts after an attempted Martian invasion, and humans are despotically ruled by a criminal organization whose leader calls himself the All-Seeing Eye. Kara rounds up the monstrous Martian birds called Angarks and smashes down the All-Seeing Eye's criminal organization. Supergirl is happy to get her powers back, operate openly and be apreciated, but she feels she must return to her own time. Back on the present, Kara checks, desolated, her powers haven't returned. When Kal-El asks whether she'd rather live in the future as Supergirl or in the present as a normal girl, she replies she wants to stay with her adoptive parents and cousin. Later that afternoon, Linda and her parents are enjoying a beach-picnic when she happens upon Dick Wilson, who has been adopted by the Malverne family. Linda and Dick spend the day together, and she finds she likes him quite a bit. At night, Linda decides to give up her Supergirl identity altogether. However just before she can toss her costume down a well she realizes that her powers have mysteriously returned. She rushes to her cousin's side to show him, and the two happen upon a Kryptonite meteor which affects Superman but not Supergirl. Kara gets rid of it swiftly, but both cousins are more puzzled than ever: How has Kara gotten her powers back? Why is she immune to Kryptonite now? Lesla-Lar, who is still spying on Supergirl, doesn't understand it either, and decides to use her power-stealing ray on Kara again. Nonetheless, her ray doesn't have any effect on Kara. Before she can investigate the issue further, the Kandorian police bursts in her lab, having detected her use of forbidden ray weapons. Lesla grumbles about her shattered dreams of conquest at the same time Lex Luthor mutters he can't complete the Kryptonite Ray without "Supergirl's" help and wonders why she doesn't come to see him again. Meanwhile, Superman and Supergirl mull over her restored powers. Superman thinks it'd be unfair to ask her to be his emergency secret weapon when he should now be her sidekick. Unbeknownst to everybody, Mr. Mxyzptlk teleported into Earth a few hours before, having come up with a plan to humiliate Superman: making a mere girl mightier than him. By chance, he chose the depowered Supergirl before returning to his own dimension. Now she's recovered her powers Linda's happier than she's been in a long while. As she does her chores, though, she can't help but think how dull they are and how easier it would be if she revealed to her parents her secret. At afternoon, Linda goes skating with Dick Malverne. Dick asks her to go out the next day and Linda replies she would love to, but she isn't sure she can get away. When both her parents and Kal-El leave, though, she finds herself bored and streaks into space. Kara spots a swarm of six Red Kryptonite meteors and promptly smashes them to atoms. Afterwards, she decides to fly back Earth, go to the Midvale's fair and join Dick. Supergirl changes back into Linda Danvers and goes to the fair, but all of sudden she turns into a fat woman. Linda realizes she may be immune to Green-K, but she's still affected by Red-K. Linda manages to get away unseen and turns back to normal, but she remembers there were six meteors. Worried, she wonders how she'll be affected by the five remainder pieces of Red Kryptonite. At evening, Linda and Dick go to the movies. Sitting near from them Linda spots Rolf Von Holtz, a famous movie director, arguing with Conway Tremaine, a horror film writer. Linda feels sorry when she overheards the latter asking the former for a last chance and being denied. All of sudden she feels she's transforming again, this time into a werewolf. Linda snucks out quickly and gets her Linda Danvers Robot pose as Dick's date. In the meantime she sees Tremaine is about to commit suicide and pulls a quick appear-scare-and-disappear act, successfully inspiring him to write another movie. Thankfully, the Red-K effect wears off. Linda switches places with her robot and Dick takes her back home. Linda still wonders whether he's made it back home safe and decides to check in on Dick using her super-senses. Linda finds out Dick's father has contracted a rare disease and may never wake up again unless a new experimental serum works. Linda wonders what she can do to help when she's turned into a microbe-sized girl. Glad to be able to help now, Kara flies towards the Midvale Hospital and into Mr. Malverne's room, and enters his blood stream. Supergirl fights off millions of disease bacteria in Dick's foster father's bloodstream until Mr. Malverne has stabilized, and feeling the Red-K effect starts wearing off, she goes out, letting the white blood cells do their job. Supergirl succeeds in helping save Mr. Malverne. She's happy, but she's still worried. She found six Red Kryptonite meteors, three of which changed her body in weird ways. There's no telling what the last three will do. Wanting to forget her troubles, Linda visits Midvale's fair. As she's combing her hair in a restroom, Linda grows another head due to the Red-K effect. "Supergirl Head No.2" -as dubbed by Linda- is completely confused and argues with Linda, wanting to look at the fair even though Linda wants to get away unseen. Fortunately by Linda, everybody thinks she's one of the workers of the freakshow, and the second head vanishes after Linda caughts and detonates safely a bomb accidentally dropped off by a jet. Supergirl flies back home at the same time her parents come back from an emergency trip to Europe. Soon after Supergirl gains the uncontrollable ability to slay anything living she gazes upon, including her parents and Krypto. Desperate, she streaks into space and comes up with a way to put their fatal vision to good use: wiping out one race of globular monsters which travel through the space to prey on other alien lifeforms. Once she's through with them, Kara collapses on her knees, sobbing. Suddenly Supergirl finds herself back in her home, in her Linda identity, and looking to her, clearly still living, parents. She guesses she's just experienced a Red-K induced hallucination. Later, Kara is blowing rainclouds over a farm area when the final Red-K effect changes her into a mermaid. Since she looks like a fin-tailed Atlantean, Kara decides to pay a visit to Jerro and Lori Lemaris. Kara is introduced to Lenora, Lori's sister who has a crush on Jerro. When Jerro proposes Supergirl, Lenora runs away, broken-hearted. Oblivious due to her grief, Lenora blunders her way into the "Valley of Hands". Jerro explains that Atlantis was invaded several centuries ago by an alien race of giants. The Atlantean weapons were useless, but the giants sank into the valley's bogs and only their upraised hands remain in view. Supergirl swiftly streaks into the Valley and pries Lenora from a giant hand. After swimming Lenora to safety, Kara senses her body changing back to normal. Supergirl says goodbye to Jerro and Lenora and flies out of the ocean. Unexpectedly, she feels pangs of pain when a Green Kryptonite meteor flies past her. Supergirl is wondering why she's lost her immunity to Green-K when Superman turns up. As returning from the future, her cousin overshot his mark and arrived a few days in the past. He saw Mister Mxyzptlk giving her super-powers magically. Evidently his magic wore off and Kara's original powers have returned. But that's in the past. Now Supergirl's powers have finally stabilised, Superman intends to reveal his cousin's existence to the world. Kara is immensely delighted, but first they have to disclose the truth to Linda's adoptive parents, though. Kal-El says he'll meet her at 9:00 and then they'll tell her parents together. Both cousins part company, and Kara flies back home and changes back into Linda Danvers. With hours before 9:00, Linda agrees to go with the Danvers to see a movie in Metropolis. However, along the way the bridge they are crossing breaks under the weight of their car. Linda quickly springs out, catches the falling car and flies it to safety. Linda gets upset, thinking she's revealed herself before the appointed time. Her parents leave the car and ask an explanation, surprised, but she doesn't dare to tell them anything. Right then Superman touches down and says it's all right and she can tell her parents everyting. He finished his patrol early and was flying back to Midvale when he saw her rescuing her parents. Although Kara was worried he'd change his mind, Kal states she did the right thing and he's still going ahead with the reveal. More confused than ever, the Danvers want to know what Superman and their daughter are talking about. Finally, Kal and Kara explain the latter's origins. The Danvers are proud of being Kara's parents and swear to protect her secret. The family goes back to the Danvers household where Supergirl builds a secret tunnel exit out of their house much like what Superman had when he was Superboy in Smallville. As watching his cousin and her adoptive parents hugging each other, Superman can't help missing the Kents. The next morning, broadcasting from the Fortress of Solitude, Superman reveals Supergirl to the world. The revelation sends cheers all over Earth and the galaxy. After the celebrations are done, Superman heads off on a mission into the 50th Century leaving Supergirl to defend the Earth while he is gone. Soon afterwards, two scientists accidentally open a space warp as trying to communicating with other worlds. A giant creature, so large all one can see are its legs tromping across the land, falls through the gap. The creature is named the Infinite Monster, and Supergirl is called to stop its rampage. Supergirl soon discovers simple brute force will not stop the monster. After being literally stomped on, Kara comes up with an idea. Rapidly, she builds a crude missile and with a note inside throws it through the time barrier to the 30th Century. There it's intercepted by the Legion of Super-Heroes, who read Supergirl's note and send her back Brainiac 5's shrinking ray. Unfortunately, the Infinite Monster steps on it. Supergirl repairs the device at super-speed and fires at the monster, who gets shrunk down to miniature size. Kara grabs the monster and flies towards the Fortress of Solitude to put it into a special cage, satisfied at the fact that she's proved her worth. With her first public mission a success, Supergirl is once more celebrated by everyone including the President of the United States. When Superman returns to the present he congratulates Supergirl for a job well done and publicly thanks her. Then he shows he's built a new wing in his -now their- Fortress, only for his cousin. Supergirl heads back to Midvale, where she's warmly greeted by her parents, and wonders what her life will be like from now on. | Issues = * (The Unknown Supergirl!) * (Supergirl's Secret Enemy!) * (Trapped in Kandor!) * (The Secret of the Time Barrier!) * (The Supergirl of Tomorrow!) * (The Six Red 'K' Perils of Supergirl!) * (The Strange Bodies of Supergirl!) * (The World's Greatest Heroine! Part 1/The Infinite Monster! Part 2) | Items = * Green Kryptonite * Red Kryptonite * Linda Lee Robot * Phantom Zone Projector | Vehicles = * Kryptonian Rocket | Weapons = * | Notes = | Trivia = * "The Unknown Supergirl" claims the distinction of possibly being the first multi-chapter story arc in the History of super-hero comicbooks. * Supergirl would finally learn of Lesla-Lar's existence in , but it'd not be until when she'd learn who was behind her power loss and memory lapses. | RecommendedReading = | Links = }}